“Glad You’re Not My Dad”: Dad And Mom Called ‘Horrible’ Parents For Their Halloween Tradition
The Switch Witch is a new trend for families during Halloween. It’s for parents who are looking for a way to teach their kids moderation and lessen their sugar intake. The Witch acts like the Tooth Fairy, but instead of taking teeth and leaving money, she takes candy and leaves a toy.
Utah residents Emily and Levi Jensen recently shared how they do the Witch’s trick on Instagram. Interestingly, not everyone was a fan of this idea. The video sparked some debate: should parents let their children eat the candy they score on Halloween? Or is this an opportunity for a good teaching moment?
Kids love trick-or-treating, they get to dress up and collect lots of candy. But it’s not as sweet for parents – they have to put rules in place so that kids don’t overdose on sugar
“Trick or treating is fun. The kids don’t really need all that candy. So here’s what we do instead”
“Our daughter goes out and has a blast trick or treating”
“When she gets home, she gets to pick out five of her favorite pieces of candy to keep”
“Then she leaves the rest of her candy in her basket and leaves it on the front porch”
“During the night, the ‘Switch Witch’ comes to collect the candy and leaves a gift in return”
“We heard of this tradition a few years ago and our daughter is now just as excited for the ‘Switch Witch’ to come as she is for trick or treating”
“This has been a great way to cut back on candy but still enjoy Halloween”
Image credits: emilyxlevi
The video became popular on Instagram – it garnered more than 800,000 likes
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Parents can turn Halloween candy into a lesson in moderation for kids
Image credits: Sebbi Strauch (not the actual photo)
Halloween can be hard for parents. It’s true kids have lots of fun dressing up and collecting candy. But parents have to come up with creative ways to keep them from overeating. Some parents, like the ones above, use the Switch Witch tradition.
The mom behind the video, Emily, told Today her reasoning behind using the Switch Witch. “I remember thinking, ‘What a great way for kids to enjoy the festivities of Halloween without eating excessive amounts of candy. The ‘Switch Witch’ isn’t for everyone, but it works for us,” she explained.
There are others who think this is a great idea. A mom named Barbara told She Knows how her son once went through the candy stash at home and made himself sick. “That is why I think that the Switch Witch is a fantastic idea,” she said. She also notes that it’s a good choice for kids with food allergies. Nuts, food dyes, and chocolate can be allergens, so an alternative to candy is sometimes better.
And for those saying that Halloween is only once a year, that’s not really true. There’s Christmas, birthdays, and Easter – kids get to eat obscene amounts of candy several times a year. Proponents of the Switch Witch say they’re looking for ways to reduce their kids’ sugar intake. After all, large amounts of sugar is not healthy.
And, at the end of the day, the Switch Witch doesn’t have strict rules. It’s not as evil as some may think. Emily and Levi mention it in their video, their daughter gets to keep five pieces. So she gets both – a toy and some candy.
The Switch Witch is not about stealing candy from the kids
Image credits: Matt Brett (not the actual photo)
Contrary to what many commenters under the video assumed, this tradition is not about taking candy away. Amy Palanjian says that kids have the right to enjoy collecting and then tasting the candy. “Don’t want them to eat a lot of candy? Don’t let them trick or treat for it!” she writes for Yummy Toddler Food.
Palanjian warns against denying kids their candy. “If you feel the urge to use this tradition to prevent the kids from eating their candy, I would urge you to consider why.”
The Switch Witch is an opportunity for kids to focus on what candy they like and enjoy eating. This way, they can practice intuitive eating, instead of parents telling them what to eat and what not to eat.
Sally Kuzemchak says that this skill is very important, even for adults. “Putting a priority on our favorite foods–and not wasting time on what we don’t–is a skill we need in a world where food is everywhere,” she writes for Real Mom Nutrition.
There’s also truth in what the commenters against the Switch Witch are saying
Image credits: Kelly Sikkema (not the actual photo)
Emily and Levi got a fair amount of backlash after posting their video. People were talking about how this takes the fun out of Halloween. Others warned that it might trigger eating disorders for the kid in the future.
Blogger Sarah Canney stands on this side of the argument. “You aren’t teaching your children anything. You’re avoiding looking into the real reasons behind your own mindless eating,” she writes. She posits that the basis for the Switch Witch is the assumption that kids don’t know what they like and eat mindlessly.
She counters this idea by saying that children are the epitome of intuitive eating. “Children eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full,” she writes in her blog. According to her, it’s more about the parents and their insecurities with binging and mindless eating.
Dietitian Jennifer Anderson told Kids Eat In Color that this method works best with younger kids. “It was fun for only the very tiny years and once my kids’ awareness kicked in, it wasn’t helpful for us anymore.” She says the Switch Witch started to cause her children to have an unhealthy relationship with candy.
She emphasizes how there has to be a balance when using this method. Yes, lots of candy is unhealthy, and this is a valid reason to use the Switch Witch. Children feeling restricted and deprived of what they want is also valid.
“When they know something is limited, they want it more. When candy is restricted, they will binge eat it when given a chance, create a stash, or eat it in secret. These are completely natural reactions to deprivation,” Anderson writes.
Things are not so black and white for this tradition. Ultimately, it’s the job of the parents to decide what they think is best for their children.
Social media users started criticizing the parents saying ‘it’s only once a year’ and ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’
Some commenters praised the parents – this way, a kid gets both candy and a surprise
As a kid would have much rather had the toy because I could keep it, whereas candy Is only fun for a little while. As long as the parents know their kid and she's happy I don't see an issue with this. It's sort of the same idea as the Binky faerie or Tooth faerie, the kid gets a cool toy and parents don't have to worry about their health so everyone wins. When she gets older and figures out that the Switch witch isn't real she should get to pick for herself though.
What’s a “Binky faerie”? I’ve never heard of it, and I woulda thought someone’d have mentioned it to me.
Load More Replies...We did this with both kids, but called it The Great Pumpkin. The Great Pumpkin doesnt give gifts like Santa, the Pumpkin demands trade! They chose how much candy they were giving in trade, with the unspoken understanding that more candy=better toy. Never had any complaints.
This is a great idea! She gets the best of both worlds: her favourite candy sans the sugar overdose other people apparently want their children to have and a toy with which she will play for an extended time. Longer than the time it takes to eat all the candy in any case. Why do other parents feel so threatened whenever a parent thinks outside the box and comes up with a good idea?
I feel like often the most harsh judgments online are from people who aren't parents. It is a good idea and most importantly it works for their family.
Load More Replies...My sister in law lets her kids use their Halloween candy to "buy" things from the "store." She gets a bunch of toys, art supplies, and books from a thrift store and puts the number of candy they are worth on them. The kids then get to decide what to buy with their candy.
Whoa, I love this. Bonus is it's like a mini store and some kids love playing in store play sets.
Load More Replies...I don't see a problem here. Especially with obesity rates in this country. Some kids have liver problems like an alcoholic because of too mush sugar.
Treats them to focus on their favourites and have fun without a dependance on sugar. Done right it's a wonderful idea
Load More Replies...If parents are so worried about the amount of sugar their children are getting, why not just limit the number of houses they go to?
So she can still have fun and be apart of the Holiday? They want to let her be a kid as much as possible (with in reason), you know.
Load More Replies...My grandfather was a dumpster diver. When a box of candy is damaged in shipping they throw it away because they can't display it. He'd show up with three brown bags filled with candy for my brother, sister, and I. My mom would let us have three pieces of candy from it and then take the rest away and she'd put them in our lunch or something. We never had a problem with it because we were taught that we didn't need it, but it was nice when we had it. I think these parents are brilliant because no child needs a bucket full of sugar and now she has something that will last longer. She wanted Elsa so now she has a toy she can play with and the parents don't have to deal with a cracked out child dependent on sugar. Bravo!
Yep. I love Elsa myself, if I was her this would seem like more of a win to me.
Load More Replies...I don't see this as a big deal or problem as long as it does not all revolve around controlling food and her weight. I would personally let her keep a bit more of the candy, but that is me. Neither my sister or I had a particularly big sweet tooth growing up and would always have quite a bit of candy left well after Halloween. We would have liked getting a toy for some of it. Also, I hope somehow it goes to good use and doesn't just get thrown away.
My godson has a corn allergy, too much cornsyrup and he breaks out in itchy hives. His parents have a tradition that the day after holloween the tooth fairy comes & replaces the candy with toothbrushes
Not related to the candy/toy issue but boy am I jealous of the Halloween weather they have wherever they live. It's 15F right now and I'm not looking forward to freezing my butt off walking around the neighborhood with my kid. Though I am excited to to wear matching black scorpion costumes with my corgi.
My parents did the switch witch thing when my sister and I were little. Now, keep in mind that, like Santa and the Easter Bunny they never convinced us that it was an actual person breaking into our house to give us stuff. When we first started doing it they would have us put out all the candy. Keep in mind that I was about seven and my sister three. Kids that age don't need candy period. As we got older we started to want some of the candy and then over the years we got more and more of our candy but by then we were teenagers with self control. I am definitely planning on using the switch witch with my future kids as I know I got a lot of benefits from it myself. A six year old would love a new doll but they aren't even old enough to want the candy. They might enjoy it for a few hours but if you pick something they're interested in, a toy will bring them happiness for months or even longer. I am speaking from experience.
I used to have a cauldron of candy and a cauldron of little toys as well. I always ran out of the toys before I did candy. The toys were little ones like small puzzles, tops, whistles, plastic animals, and so on. I began doing this because I had a couple of friends with diabetic children and didn't want them to be left out of the fun.
My parents did something similar to this with my brother and I (this was in the 80s if that matters at all) We always cared more about the present than the candy. (Also leftover candy went in a big jar in the pantry that wasn't exactly "guarded" We just had to ask first. Only really got told no if it was right before dinner lol)
Just let them have a bit of candy at a time. Stop with the consumerism.
What is the deal with being afraid of kids eating candy? IT'S ONE NIGHT! Let them be. Jeez
I can still remember the joy of sorting the candy and eating it as I wished. So sad to see this.
She might be able to do so when she's older. She still gets a mini version of this as well. I think you are romanticising your own Halloween. She still gets some candy. She gets a toy ontop of that which is something kids at her age (4-6 I imagine) like just as much as candy.
Load More Replies...As a kid would have much rather had the toy because I could keep it, whereas candy Is only fun for a little while. As long as the parents know their kid and she's happy I don't see an issue with this. It's sort of the same idea as the Binky faerie or Tooth faerie, the kid gets a cool toy and parents don't have to worry about their health so everyone wins. When she gets older and figures out that the Switch witch isn't real she should get to pick for herself though.
What’s a “Binky faerie”? I’ve never heard of it, and I woulda thought someone’d have mentioned it to me.
Load More Replies...We did this with both kids, but called it The Great Pumpkin. The Great Pumpkin doesnt give gifts like Santa, the Pumpkin demands trade! They chose how much candy they were giving in trade, with the unspoken understanding that more candy=better toy. Never had any complaints.
This is a great idea! She gets the best of both worlds: her favourite candy sans the sugar overdose other people apparently want their children to have and a toy with which she will play for an extended time. Longer than the time it takes to eat all the candy in any case. Why do other parents feel so threatened whenever a parent thinks outside the box and comes up with a good idea?
I feel like often the most harsh judgments online are from people who aren't parents. It is a good idea and most importantly it works for their family.
Load More Replies...My sister in law lets her kids use their Halloween candy to "buy" things from the "store." She gets a bunch of toys, art supplies, and books from a thrift store and puts the number of candy they are worth on them. The kids then get to decide what to buy with their candy.
Whoa, I love this. Bonus is it's like a mini store and some kids love playing in store play sets.
Load More Replies...I don't see a problem here. Especially with obesity rates in this country. Some kids have liver problems like an alcoholic because of too mush sugar.
Treats them to focus on their favourites and have fun without a dependance on sugar. Done right it's a wonderful idea
Load More Replies...If parents are so worried about the amount of sugar their children are getting, why not just limit the number of houses they go to?
So she can still have fun and be apart of the Holiday? They want to let her be a kid as much as possible (with in reason), you know.
Load More Replies...My grandfather was a dumpster diver. When a box of candy is damaged in shipping they throw it away because they can't display it. He'd show up with three brown bags filled with candy for my brother, sister, and I. My mom would let us have three pieces of candy from it and then take the rest away and she'd put them in our lunch or something. We never had a problem with it because we were taught that we didn't need it, but it was nice when we had it. I think these parents are brilliant because no child needs a bucket full of sugar and now she has something that will last longer. She wanted Elsa so now she has a toy she can play with and the parents don't have to deal with a cracked out child dependent on sugar. Bravo!
Yep. I love Elsa myself, if I was her this would seem like more of a win to me.
Load More Replies...I don't see this as a big deal or problem as long as it does not all revolve around controlling food and her weight. I would personally let her keep a bit more of the candy, but that is me. Neither my sister or I had a particularly big sweet tooth growing up and would always have quite a bit of candy left well after Halloween. We would have liked getting a toy for some of it. Also, I hope somehow it goes to good use and doesn't just get thrown away.
My godson has a corn allergy, too much cornsyrup and he breaks out in itchy hives. His parents have a tradition that the day after holloween the tooth fairy comes & replaces the candy with toothbrushes
Not related to the candy/toy issue but boy am I jealous of the Halloween weather they have wherever they live. It's 15F right now and I'm not looking forward to freezing my butt off walking around the neighborhood with my kid. Though I am excited to to wear matching black scorpion costumes with my corgi.
My parents did the switch witch thing when my sister and I were little. Now, keep in mind that, like Santa and the Easter Bunny they never convinced us that it was an actual person breaking into our house to give us stuff. When we first started doing it they would have us put out all the candy. Keep in mind that I was about seven and my sister three. Kids that age don't need candy period. As we got older we started to want some of the candy and then over the years we got more and more of our candy but by then we were teenagers with self control. I am definitely planning on using the switch witch with my future kids as I know I got a lot of benefits from it myself. A six year old would love a new doll but they aren't even old enough to want the candy. They might enjoy it for a few hours but if you pick something they're interested in, a toy will bring them happiness for months or even longer. I am speaking from experience.
I used to have a cauldron of candy and a cauldron of little toys as well. I always ran out of the toys before I did candy. The toys were little ones like small puzzles, tops, whistles, plastic animals, and so on. I began doing this because I had a couple of friends with diabetic children and didn't want them to be left out of the fun.
My parents did something similar to this with my brother and I (this was in the 80s if that matters at all) We always cared more about the present than the candy. (Also leftover candy went in a big jar in the pantry that wasn't exactly "guarded" We just had to ask first. Only really got told no if it was right before dinner lol)
Just let them have a bit of candy at a time. Stop with the consumerism.
What is the deal with being afraid of kids eating candy? IT'S ONE NIGHT! Let them be. Jeez
I can still remember the joy of sorting the candy and eating it as I wished. So sad to see this.
She might be able to do so when she's older. She still gets a mini version of this as well. I think you are romanticising your own Halloween. She still gets some candy. She gets a toy ontop of that which is something kids at her age (4-6 I imagine) like just as much as candy.
Load More Replies...
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